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Tailor, dart and bream on the northern end of Seven Mile Beach. Tailor and bream around Broken Head rocks. Whiting and tailor at Suffolk Park Beach and dart and whiting at Cosy Corner.
Tailor and dart around the lighthouse rocks, with tailor and bream on Wategos Beach
Whiting and flathead at Belongil Beach with a few tailor at Sunrise and Black Rock beaches.
Snapper and mack tuna with the odd mackerel in the Bay.
Simmo and Dave, Byron Bay Bait and Tackle 6685 7711
byronbaitntackle@yahoo.com.au
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Richmond River closed to all commercial and recreational fishing until June because of the big fish kill in February. Fishing available from rocks, beaches and offshore. Only the seaward sides of the walls can be fished. There are tailor and bream off the beaches and headlands, especially around Lennox Head, with some school jew as well on beach worms. Offshore there is the occasional snapper and plenty of bait schools, with the odd mackerel moving about. If the water can clear just a fraction more, the mackerel should be on – there is heaps of bait for them.
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Ports reports for the week that everything is improving ... and very quickly. The lower estuary has cleared remarkably quickly. The one BIG point that I would like to make very clear is that the Clarence River IS NOT CLOSED in any way, shape or form to amateur angling. There was a report in the Sydney papers which said that the river was closed – this was totally untrue. I understand that the ABC also reported a similar thing on the Country Hour. These reports did a huge amount of damage to those trying to make a living out of tourism, with two floods back-to-back in a matter of a couple of weeks its hard enough to engender a little enthusiasm into the fishing scene without the dark side of incorrect reporting.
Outside fishing has picked up. Some of the regulars have had a great week, some bagging out on reds. There have been a few mackerel off to the south around Brooms Head and the Sandon (including Spaniards).
In the creek (say Clarence) the bream have been on the chew in the lower estuary with a very nice lot of lizards coming back in with the good water.
Off the rocks and around the gutters whiting are still being taken in the clearing, but still a little murky waters. Very good-sized sea gar off Lovers Point on the north side along with bream.
I predict that anyone holidaying here over the Easter break and the school holidays should have some exceptional fishing both outside and in the creek. By then Browns Rocks will be on fire, so bring your boats and don't leave the rods and reels behind. If you do then don't panic...just call in and see us at the BP Servo on Yamba Road, we'll probably be able to do something about it!
Glen Porter, The Bait Place 6646 2017
ports@turboweb.net.au
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The mad run of fishing continues in the Coffs area. The longtail are having problems finding room with the excellent run of Spanish mackerel that we are having this season. Standing-room-only on all the usual points but it is good to see a few anglers trying to find some other locations. Muttonbird Island's north-eastern corner is probably the pick of it but you do need to get there early. The south wall and the back of the quarry are also on fire.
If the mackerel and longtail don't do anything for you, the headlands are also worth a drop for some big snapper that have followed the bait schools in. The best so far this week stands at 9kg but there a large number of knobbies in the 5-7kg range.
Offshore the conditions have been a bit difficult but with all the action happening just off the bank, it has been easy for the boaties to throw something at the rock washes. Snapper, mackerel and longtail with a few horse kings thrown in for good measure. A bit further out the samson have been bringing anglers to their knees, literally.
The beaches have been a bit quiet but the odd jewfish and bream have been there to break the monotony.
The estuaries have cleaned up nicely and there still seems to be the remains of the flathead run with some nice fish up to 5kg being reported.
All in all, the Coffs Coast is not a bad spot to dangle a line at the
moment.
Don't forget, if you would like a copy of our big mail order catalogue, packed full of Australia's best and cheapest tackle, just give us a ring on (02) 6651 9530.
Peter Russell, Fishing Tackle Australia 6652 4611
motackle@midcoast.com.au
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Beach and rock fishing is still proving to be the best seen for many years. Smoky Cape Beach is still producing quality bag-limit catches of whiting and bream, with tailor increasing as the weeks go by. Little Bay is also turning on good fishing for the same species.
The rocks at Gap Beach and under the lighthouse have good tailor, as has Hat Head.
Offshore, the main attraction is still around Fish Rock and Black Rock, with kingfish and cobia the targeted species. the reef areas off Grassy Head are beginning to produce trag, pearl perch and snapper and the big news is that a few spotted mackerel have turned up.
The Macleay river, including the river sides of the walls, remains closed to all forms of fishing for three months after big fish kills in the floods of early March.
Peter and Amanda Jordan, Rocks Marine Bait and Tackle 6566 6726
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No report this week
Lloyd and Helen Hewens, Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle 6583 8318
nedsbandt@bigpond.com.au
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Offshore: Small dolphin fish remain plentiful and have been caught as close in as Latitude Rock. Various species of tuna are present, with bonito, mack tuna and northern bluefin the most common. Big kingfish have been hooked bit are proving difficult to stop in shallow water. the Pinnacle is still producing mulloway from 6kg to 10kg after dark. small black marlin have been hooked close to shore and a blue of 260kg was tagged last weekend along the 350-fathom mark.
Beaches: Tailor continue to be plentiful with all beaches producing the goods. Small mulloway were caught off Seven mile Beach over the past week.
Rocks: Excellent bream and blackfish have been reported. Janeys Corner is still one of the best sites, with the rocks at the northern end of Boomerang Beach a close second. Any rocky headland should prove worthwhile. land-based game is patchy, with a few northern bluefin reported from Booti Booti and Charlotte Head last weekend with some reasonable kingfish working around charlotte.
Estuary: Snother 50mm of rain last Sunday (Mar 25) has dirtied the lake on the run-out tide. Despite this, reasonable captures of bream, flathead and leatherjackets are available. Undersized bream remain in abundance and are difficult to get past. There is no stand-out area that is prodicng the best.
Lloyd Campbell, Great Lakes Tackle 6554 9541
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The outlook for the next few weekends is highly promising. The trailer boat competition begins on Friday, April 6, with over 1000 competitors trying their skills.
Estuary: Bream are all the go with plenty of fish around the kilo. Little Beach jetty on the run-in tide after dark on mullet fillets and gut is good, as are the wrecks in the Duckhole and deep-water oyster leases at the mouth of Bundabah Creek, along with Rocks Awash. Big flounder have moved back onto the bar between the heads. tailor still schooling along the breakwalls at dusk. Luderick starting to school inside the heads and worth a shot at the Tubes and Castle. Blue swimmer crabs moving at last, with th eastern side of Kangaroo Point to Wanda head worth chucking in a few pots.
Beaches: Stockton Beach is still firing for big whiting and a good run of travelling bream. Jew from the Huts to the Sygna wreck and tailor and salmon with dusky flathead on Fingal and Grannies. Bream and luderick on Middle Rock at One Mile.
Rocks: Rockhoppers having a ball with snapper off Sunny Corner and South Head at Fishermans. Plenty of surface species for the spin boys – tailor, bonito, frigates, small mack tuna and a few kingies on most headlands. Jew on the lead up to the full moon around Cemetery, Rocky and Fingal Head. Luderick – big bronze travellers – moving along the shoreline from Birubi to Tomaree and bream making their move also.
Offshore: Kingies up to 20kg at East Head and Looking Glass at Broughton. Trag on Gibber, the 21 and V reefs along with school jew to around 10kg. Snapper worth targeting in the shallows around Broughton and in the wash reefs near Mungo. The wash jockeys are cleaning up on bream and drummer around Cabbage, Big and Little islands. Dusky flathead in the shallows at Cabbage Tree and on the gravel off Urana.
Surface species still abound – dollies and stripeys in 30+ fathoms, bonito and tailor on the troll at Cabbage Tree.
Graham Duffy, Salamander Bait and Tackle 4982 0711
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No report this week
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Action continues to be concentrated down the mouth of the river. Good reports of bream and flathead around the shop wharf at Dangar Island, as well as bonito at lion Island. Juno point and Bar Point still good for school jewies and bream. If you’re after a bit of fun, there are slimy mackerel at Bobbin Head. You could also try a slow troll up Cowan Creek to Bobbin Head for some tailor. Smith's Creek has had some reports of jewies.
For those after crabs, bag limits of blue swimmers have been caught around Berowra Flats and Bar Point, but no muddies are to be seen.
Craig from Windybank's on Tuesday managed to land a few dolphin fish at the Buoys, as well as kingfish in the harbour.
Don't forget the Inaugural Hawkesbury Bream Classic on April 27-29, great cash prizes. Ring Windybank's on 02 9477 1501 for more details.
Windybanks Bait and Tackle, John & Anne Windybanks 9477 1501
windy@tig.com.au
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One of our customers, Scotty, fished at Port Stephens at the weekend aboard game charter boat Billfisher. While trolling around, skipper Glen Hunter cried out from the flybridge: “Dolphin fish!” Scotty grabbed his fly rod and started casting at the school. “You’ve hooked the biggest one,“ Glen shouted as the flyline screamed off the reel. With the speed of the fish, the line couldn’t cope and the knot exploded, setting the fish free with 30 metres of flyline, leader and fly. About 10 minutes later, Scotty noticed some line floating on the surface behind the school of fish. The boys wound in lines and backed down on the floating line and discovered Scotty’s flyline with 7kg of dolphin fish still attached. Scotty reattached the flyline and caught another six fish.
Our second tale involves our manager, Peter Keep, who was telling jewfish guru Chris Smith on the phone that his Mako sunglasses had just arrived at the shop. “Hang on,” Chris said down his mobile, “I’ve got a hit, let me put the phone down.” Pete waited for a couple of minutes, not hearing too much. “Well, I’ve got him, he’s 12kg-plus – now when do I pick up these sunnies?” You have to be pretty good to catch a 12kg jewfish on a handline at 3pm on a handline on the Hawkesbury!
At Fairlight, Craig McGill’s Fishabout tours has been catching kingfish on live bait, while Craig’s offsider, Ben Gross, has been trolling up 3kg fish at Reef Beach. Tailor are still plentiful in all areas, with Jake Cashman catching a 1.5kg tailor to win fish Outta Water’s weekly weigh-in competition.
Bonito have increased in numbers off the rocks, as Shane Nee and friends found out. They were catching six to eight each morning on chrome lures. Try North and South heads as well as all good, deep rock ledged up and down the peninsula.
North Harbour drop-off at Fairlight has bream and flathead but only on live baits such as prawns, a source tells us.
One chap came into the shop recently and said he caught a mackerel tuna on a chrome spinner under the Harbour Bridge! Top stuff!
Peter/Kurt, Fish Outta Water 9949 9488
fishon@ozemail.com.au
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Port Hacking, Georges River: Luderick are being caught throughout both of these systems. The key to success is to get yourself some good-quality weed. This has been a bit hard to come by due to the amount of rain we have had over the past few weeks. If you are having trouble getting some, you should try some of the cabbage that you can get off the rocks. When I cleaned my catch of luderick last session, I found that the fish were chock-full of ribbon weed. The ribbon weed is a bit hard to keep on the hook, but it does work.
Places worth a try in Port Hacking include the entrance to Gunnamatta Bay near the Fisheries Centre, the edge of the channel just upstream of the Ballast Heap, North West Arm and the Diversion Wall just downstream from Audley. In the Georges River try the pylons of the Captain Cook bridge, the piers of the Georges River Motor Boat club, Oyster Bay, Soily Point at Lugarno and the stretch of shoreline just upstream of the Alfords Point bridge.
Botany Bay: Good catches of bream, trevally and leatherjackets have been caught by those fishing the end of the runways and Bare Island. Watts Reef and the hot water outlet have produced some good-sized tailor at night on pilchards. Kingfish are being caught on live yellowtail and pink nippers.
The Rocks: Bream, luderick and drummer are making up the most part of catches of those fishing at Maroubra, Bondi, Malabar, Kurnell, and places throughout the Royal National Park. For the best results, try a fish either the early morning or late afternoon.
In conjunction with AFN Magazine, I have just produced a map (No 23) on fishing Port Hacking, Botany Bay, Georges and Woronora rivers. There is also a map (No 22) on fishing in Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour and the Parramatta, Lane Cove and Iron Cove rivers. Come in and have a look at them.
What’s on: Due to the response from people wanting to sit in on my fishing classes on How, Where and When to Fish Port Hacking, Botany Bay, and the Georges and Woronora Rivers, the shop is running another class starting on April 30 at 7pm, so while you are in the shop next time, you might also consider booking into one. I cover types of techniques, baits, rigs and fish species over three consecutive Monday nights. For further information phone Greg or John at the shop on 9600 6999, email me at gebrown@sia.net.au or phone me on 0417 690 508.
Gary Brown/Greg Mercedes Mako Tackle 9600 6999
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The lake has lots of bream, some reasonable flatties and thousands of small chopper tailor being caught on small lures – early morning up to lunchtime seems to be the best, though there are still some fish around just before dark. Some of the more successful anglers have been advocating the use of neutral-buoyancy minnow lures fished slowly around the weed beds and rock walls, a very deadly technique. Working these lures under and around jetty pylons from a boat is also a proven way to get connected with some bruiser bream. Keep in mind that the bream in the lake will be feeding hard in the next month or so, as they will be looking to put on some extra condition before they head up the feeder creeks to spawn from May to August.
Large schools of tailor have recently shown up around most rock spots, with Windang Island and Five Islands being the pick of the locations. Beach and rock fishermen have reported lots of bite-offs as a result of these fish, so make sure you have some wire traces on hand if you want to land any.
There have been heaps of frigate mackerel in the harbour at Port Kembla and even in Wollongong Harbour. Mixed among them are even some small mackerel tuna – the schools have been moving very fast and have been hard to keep track of. Tiny Raiders or Crystal Eye metal lures fished on a high-speed retrieves have been the most productive. For this sort of fishing, reels with gear ratios of 6:1 or better can prove the difference between success and failure.
Big schools of large blackfish have been seen in the Inner Harbour at Port Kembla, but getting the fish to take weed baits has been difficult.
Last weekend there was a report of good catches of squire to 2.5kg, monster bream to 2.5kg, and a couple of kingfish up to 8kg falling to live yellowtail fished on the bottom just out from Wollongong Lighthouse.
Another local angler spent some time berleying out of his boat off one of the local beaches and was rewarded with school jewfish, tailor, small sharks and some oversize bream – just goes to show that the use of berley can bring them on the bite, even through the middle of the day.
Hill 60 still has some reasonable bonito and some small frigates around early in the morning, though the action has tapering off lately. Small lures, pilchards, and the popular 5cm plastic squid behind a weighted popper have been the most successful. Some big silver trevally have also been hanging around the ledges, with half-pilchards under a float or fished down a berley trail being the best bet.
On the freshwater scene, some big bass have been taken in the lower brackish waters of some local rivers and creeks. The biggest fish have proved to be very fussy, with live nippers cast right up into the snags being the only way to come in contact with any of the bigger fish. These big bass have moved into the saltwater to prepare to spawn, so responsible anglers have been releasing any bass that have been caught. Remember that their breeding success rate will regulate how well the next few seasons will fish. Bream and estuary perch have been mixed among them, so it has been a bit of a lottery in terms of what you might catch around the river snags lately.
And, whether you like it or not, the fishing licence for saltwater as well as freshwater has come into effect from March 23. You will need to have one of these if you wish to do any fishing from now on, unless you are under 18 years of age or hold a Commonwealth Pensioners Card. Licences range from: 3 days – $5; 1 month – $10; 1 year – $25; 3 years – $70; and can be purchased from tackle shops and licensed retailers.
Rowley Hoyer, Ern Webb’s Sports Store 4229 1915.
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No report this week.
Darryl, The Ocean Hut 4476 2278
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No repot this week.
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No report this week.
Bruce and Dawne Grant, Wonboyn Cabins and Caravan Park, 6496 9131
wonboyn@asitis.net.au
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